by Box Set
After racks of ribs, brisket, and barbecued chicken, we were fat and almost happy. Tommy was scraping the bottom of his sundae while Beau pulled two hundreds from his wallet.
“That’s a big tip.”
“It’s her consolation.”
“What, for not getting her you-know-what signed?”
“No, for realizing she never had a chance.” Beau tapped Tommy to get him moving. “Let’s go. I think there’s a cookie in my future.”
Chapter 14
Beau
Mandy sat in the passenger seat, twisting her fingers in her lap. I don’t ever remember her being so nervous. “You okay?”
“Yeah…sure.” She stopped pretzeling her fingers and fumbled with the radio buttons until she found a song she recognized. “I’m nervous.”
I pulled the car over. Tommy had gone home with the Grandmas to get a bath and a story before bedtime so no one was counting on us for anything. When I cut the engine, I turned toward her. “You don’t have to be nervous. I want a lot of things from you, but I’d never demand anything.”
“It’s not you, it’s me. I’m not the same girl. I told you, everything has changed.” She cupped her beautiful breasts. “Even these wouldn’t get a passing grade on your old scale.”
God, I wanted to cup her breasts and tell her how perfect they were. “Can I?” I reached toward her hands.
She chewed the inside of her cheek and nodded. I was back to being sixteen and sitting on her bed when I first felt her up. We were a tangle of limbs and lips, and I’d never been so happy.
With caution, I cupped her hands in mine and felt the weight of her breasts. She dropped her palms, leaving the entire experience in my hands completely. Through her bra, I could feel the strain of her nipples as I brushed my thumbs across the thin cotton of her shirt. She hissed when I circled the hard nubs. “They’re perfect, Mandy. I wouldn’t care if you had nipples on a board, or your tits sagged to your knees. I’m drawn to you. I want you, and only you.”
“Kiss me, Beau, and make me believe you.”
I hated the big fucking console between us. There was no finessing this kiss, it was offered and would be taken. There was ten years of unfulfilled passion to satisfy. That was a huge expectation for one kiss. With one hand on her right breast and one weaved through the strands of her hair, I gripped the nape of her neck and pulled her to me. This kiss meant more because she’d asked for it.
Hot, greedy lips reached for mine. I suckled and nipped and caressed her mouth. With a gentle pull, I coaxed her quivering lower lip between mine and ran my tongue over the plump length. She shuddered, so I gripped her tight, trying to silently communicate to her that I had her, and that I’d take care of her.
Little gasps and moans slipped between us. I was halfway over the center console before I noticed the flashing lights behind us.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
“Shit,” Mandy yelled as she struggled to pull herself together. Her hair was in disarray, her lips were kiss-swollen, and her T-shirt had been pulled up. The cup of her bra was pushed to the side and her rose-colored nipple exposed.
“It’s okay.” I adjusted her clothing first before I made any attempts to hide my straining erection. Not even the tails of my shirt could camouflage the solid rod between my legs.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
I rolled down the fogged window to find Sheriff Lerner leaning in with his hand on his holster.
“Well, look who’s here,” he said with a cowboy twang. “I heard you were back in town.” He looked past me to Mandy. “Mandy, good to see you. Misty says you’re back at the shop?”
She cleared her throat and ran her fingers through her hair. “Yes, sir. I’m helping out my mom.” She sat straight as a ruler, facing forward.
“You got car problems?” The Sheriff was no dummy. His shit-eating grin was all too familiar. We’d been in this situation about twelve years ago. I’d pulled into the lookout and lost track of everything around us until he came knocking, just like tonight. It’s a wonder any kid got past second base in this town. Sheriff Lerner was everywhere.
“No…no car problems.”
“So, what are you two doing parked in the dark on the side of the road with your windows fogged?”
“Talking, Sheriff,” Mandy fidgeted a bit more, “we have a lot of catching up to do. We were just talking.”
“Is that what you’re calling it these days?”
“We’ll be going now, Sheriff. Thanks for stopping by to say hello.” I pressed the ignition button and the SUV purred to life.
“There are better places to ‘talk’ you two. I hear Whitley’s has a few vacancies.” His chest bounced with hearty laughter. “Stay inside and stay warm, it’s supposed to snow tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.” I rolled up the window, turned up the defroster, and waited for the windows to clear.
“That was embarrassing. You’d think we were still teens with the way we were behaving. I have a six-year-old for goodness sake.”
“It was fun, though. I felt like a teenager again. The kiss was amazing.” She rocked her head back and forth. “Don’t tell me you didn’t think that was amazing?” I pinched her chin between my thumb and finger and pulled her to the center. “Tell me you didn’t think that was the most amazing kiss ever?”
“It was good, but I’m counting on better. Now, take me home, Beau. I don’t want the Sheriff to catch us again and call my mother.” Lord, what would her mother have said to that? Somehow, she would have turned it into her victory. After the death of Mandy’s dad, Annie had controlled everything she could. Who could blame her when all of our lives had spiraled so far out of control that day?
Our fingers intertwined the whole way home. Life was getting better every second. The biggest hurdle was getting Mandy to leave everything and come to California with me.
When we walked into the house, Tommy was sitting in his Spiderman pajamas with my guitar in his lap, practicing his chords.
“What took you so long?” He ran to us both and curled one arm around each of our legs.
“Yes, what took you so long?” Annie emerged from the kitchen with a cup of something in her hand. “Tommy was waiting.”
I gave Mandy a knowing look. “We ran into Sheriff Lerner on the way.” I played it off like it was a normal occurrence.
“He was just hanging out on the road home? That’s odd.”
“Mom, stop it.” Mandy turned the color of a pomegranate. “We stopped and—”
“I know, and I’m glad you two are figuring it out.”
Mandy mumbled something about x-ray vision and then smothered Tommy in kisses.
“Tommy wanted a goodnight song instead of a story, are you up for that, Beau?”
“It sounds like I’m up.” I set the guitar aside and threw a giggling Tommy over my shoulder. “Where’s my mom?”
Annie took her cup and sat in the chair next to the Christmas tree. Its branches sagged under the weight of the ornaments. “She went home to get ready for our trip.”
“You know, Mom,” Mandy started, “I can ask one of the teens to fill in tomorrow so I can go to your appointment.”
“No, I want you at the shop. If that had been a viable option, I could have done that myself. They can sell, they can’t bake.”
I reached for my guitar while I balanced a wiggly boy over my shoulder. “I can fill in. I can’t bake but I can try.”
“Young man, with the crowds you bring, poor Misty would be withered by noon.” I couldn’t argue there. If a kid could make over six hundred dollars in donations, I couldn’t imagine what would happen if I were behind the counter without Mandy for any length of time. “You’re probably right.”
Mandy kicked her feet up on the coffee table. “Sheriff Lerner says it’s supposed to snow tomorrow. Do you think it’s wise to drive down the pass?”
“You may be a mom, but you’re not my mom.�
� Annie sipped her tea. Her eyes crinkled with happiness as the warm liquid went down. Annie loved her tea. I remember her and Mandy’s dad sitting in front of the bay window every night drinking tea and talking about their day. Like my parents, they had a good marriage. “We’ll be fine, besides, it’s too cold to snow. It’s still subzero.”
I left the two women to argue over the chance of snow and carried Tommy to his room. Plop, I dumped him onto the plaid comforter. He scurried under the covers and turned on his side.
“Do you love my mommy?”
How did I explain to a little boy that I’d been in love with his mother longer than he’d been alive?
“I’ve always loved your mom, but sometimes, we men aren’t all that smart when it comes to girls.” I snuggled the blanket under his chin.
“I don’t like girls.”
“You’ll change your mind.” I pulled the guitar across my lap. “What do you want to hear?”
“Peppermint Kisses.”
I played our silly little song and changed the lyrics so Tommy was as sweet as candy. It didn’t rhyme as well as Mandy, but he seemed to like it. When his eyes grew heavy, I leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. To my surprise, he wrapped his little arms around my neck and tugged me down.
“I love you, Beau.”
A lump big enough to choke me formed in my throat. “I love you too, buddy.” How could I not love him, he was everything I’d want in a son? I dimmed his light and shut his door.
Before I headed downstairs, I walked into Mandy’s room and left my guitar in the corner.
Chapter 15
Mandy
When Beau came downstairs, he looked pleased with himself.
“Is he down?”
“Yep, he was tired out from the day. He’s very excited about tomorrow’s shopping trip.” Beau slid next to me on the couch and rested his hand on my knee. Heat surged through me.
“You youngsters have a good night,” Mom rocked to her feet and kissed us both on the cheek before she walked down the hallway. “Lock up before you head to bed,” she said before she took the turn into her main-level bedroom.
“Will do, Mrs. Sawyer.” Beau leaned back against the cushions and pulled me into his lap. He was nibbling on my ear in no time. I could feel his hard length beneath me. I loved that I could still get him hard. Here he was, a big star who could choose any woman, and yet, I was the one he wanted, at least, for now. It was both exhilarating and terrifying. I could think of a thousand reasons why I was wrong for him, but when he kissed me, it felt so right.
Somehow, my breasts found their way back into his hands and my tongue into his mouth. We breathed each other in while we reacquainted ourselves. I straddled him and ground into his hardness. We rocked together in harmony. Out of breath, I leaned back to gulp in much needed oxygen. His blue fuck-me eyes were half closed. His lips were a lollipop red that begged for licking and tasting. His palms gripped my ass and pulled me tight against his erection. Moans and groans slipped between us like a common language.
His hands pressed between my jeans and ass, grazing my skin with fingertips calloused from years of guitar playing. Rough skin and his soft touch were the perfect combination.
“Hold tight, baby.” He slid his palms from my jeans and gripped my hips to stop their rotation. “I’m not making love to you on the couch with your mom down the hallway, and I refuse to come in my pants, which I’m close to doing.”
“Come upstairs.” My wispy breath filled the silence. I wanted him back in every way. I needed him like a fish needed water.
“Not right now, love. Let’s make a special date when our mom’s get back tomorrow night. We can stay at the cabin and make love in front of the fireplace like old times. I’m sure my mom, or your mom, will watch Tommy.”
Like a deflated balloon, I sagged against his chest. I was burning like an ember ready to ignite but was doused with water instead.
“I just got you back.” Each word was delivered with a silent plea for him to change his mind. “I’m begging, Beau.”
“You don’t need to beg, baby. You just need to wait. Our first time back together needs to be better than your mom’s couch with both of us looking over our shoulders for Tommy.”
He was right. Our desire was fierce. Enough so that it had taken away my common sense. I didn’t want Tommy walking in while I rode Beau’s cock, and I didn’t want my mother to get an eyeful either. I preached patience to my son all the time, the least I could do was set an example, if only to myself.
“What now?” I rested my head on his broad chest. Beau had always been a big guy. Tall and muscular, he was every woman’s dream and every man’s nightmare. Ten years had passed, and yet, the muscles he had in high school were still there. I ran my fingertips over each ridge and ripple, reminding myself of the man I’d loved for so long.
“I’m going to give you one more panty-twisting kiss, and then, I’m leaving you.” He cupped my face and in his eyes, I saw love—years of lost love now found.
“Do you have to leave?” Pathetic in my attempt to coax him to stay, I owed it to myself to capture every minute, even if we sat here on the couch and stared at the powder blue walls.
“I have to call my agent. He’s working on something that could be big. I was supposed to call him earlier, but my mouth was otherwise occupied.”
His goodbye kiss was tender and sweet. Rather than ravish me with a bruising touch, he lingered and loved me. That kiss was more intimate than any lovemaking session I could remember. Ten years ago, we were clumsy teenagers doing what came naturally. These days, I had to imagine lovemaking would be done with more skill and finesse than we were capable of back then.
I watched him walk across the street, and even though I knew he couldn’t see me in the darkened window, he had to have felt my eyes on him. When he reached his door, he turned and blew me a kiss that I felt in the deepest recesses of my heart.
When I turned around, Mom was standing there with unbridled joy written all over her face. “Things going good?”
I rushed to her and threw my arms around her. “I should throttle you for your interference, but all I can say is thank you. We have a long road ahead, but at least we are traveling it together. I don’t know what will happen, Mom, but thanks for bringing Beau back into my life.”
“I didn’t fall to get you or Beau here, however, once I did, a lot of options opened up.” Mom held me a moment longer than normal. She held me the way I held Tommy. This was the mom I’d longed for and in that moment, her arms seemed stronger than Superman, her compassion more than Mother Theresa, and her cunning could give the most talented con artist a run for his money.
“I love you, Mom. You know I’d do anything for you.” I kissed her cheek and inhaled the scent of her Pond’s face cream. For years, I’d been frustrated with my mom for living in the past, for never trying new things, for not moving forward after my father died, for controlling everything around her—including me.
Here I had been doing the same thing. Sure, I was living at its basic level, but I’d stopped loving because Beau Tinsel had stolen my heart, and had hidden it for a decade. Now, it was free, and that made me feel higher than the bottle of bubbly I’d drunk by myself last New Year’s Eve.
We separated, with Mom going to bed, and me heading upstairs. I peeked in on Tommy. He was curled in a ball, his little lower lip puffed out with each breath. Not everything over the last ten years had been bad. I’d traveled across Europe, worked with the finest pastry chefs and chocolatiers in the world, and I’d had Tommy. Sitting on the edge of his bed, I rubbed his back and thanked the lucky stars Beau had let me go.
Trying to imagine my life without Tommy was impossible. He’d been my life for years. He brought laughter and joy to everything. He’d taught me about sacrifice, and the importance of serving others needs first. Parents are supposed to teach their children, but I wonder if it’s not the other way around. I’ve learned more about myself from this little boy than I�
�d care to confess. No, Beau had been right to let me go. I tucked up the blankets to make sure Tommy was covered and left him to his dreams.
The light next to my bed was on, and in the corner was Beau’s guitar. To say that my heart was racing was an understatement. I could feel it pound against my chest while my brain screamed, “he’s coming.”
Only moments before, I was ready to strip down and take him on the couch, and now, I realized I was inadequately prepared for a visit from Beau. When was the last time I shaved my legs? My skin was as dry as jerky, and I couldn’t get started on the shortcomings of my body.
I rushed to the window. Yep, it was unlocked. He was coming, but when? Did I have enough time to shower and prepare? What would I wear? My penguin pajamas shouted warm and cozy, not sexy, and certainly not take me. Maybe I’d just climb into bed naked. Would that be too forward?
First things first, I needed a shower and a shave. God help me, and anyone in this house, if I couldn’t find a razor.
Stripped to my jiggly bits, I pulled my old, pink bathrobe from the closet and ran for the bathroom. The faucet dripped; the sound created the rhythm I used to prepare myself. I rummaged through the drawers and found an old Schick razor from bygone days and prayed I wouldn’t need a tetanus shot when I was finished.
I was in and out of the shower in minutes, no worse for the wear. My hair hung wet and limp over my shoulders. I didn’t dare dry it, or I’d wake the house with the roar of what sounded like the outboard motor of a boat. I debated on makeup, but would I go to bed flexing my full feminine wiles? Was I overthinking this?
I stared down at the jungle between my legs. Holy shit, I’d turned into Sasquatch over the years. I hadn’t had a party down there in a long time, so there was no need to trim the lawn. Beau would take one look at me and run.
We didn’t even have a decent pair of scissors. All that was in the drawer was a pair of thinning shears, which at this point seemed appropriate. I attacked the forest like a logger in a tree felling championship. It wasn’t perfect, but in the end, my thatch couldn’t be confused with a wildebeest hiding in tall grass.
